


An Offer You Can't Refuse

by lodessa



Category: Veronica Mars (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-03-16
Updated: 2006-03-16
Packaged: 2017-11-16 07:30:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/537021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lodessa/pseuds/lodessa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Veronica is surprised when Clarence Weidman shows up in her living room one afternoon, a few months after they tracked down Amelia DeLongprey's murderous ex-boyfriend and she expected she'd seen the last of him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	An Offer You Can't Refuse

Veronica is surprised when Clarence Weidman shows up in her living room one afternoon, a few months after they tracked down Amelia DeLongprey's murderous ex-boyfriend and she expected she'd seen the last of him. There he is though, fingers elegantly laced together across his lap, looking like they could not be used to strangle and break, looking like he wasn't uninvited. She tells herself the sudden tightness in her chest is surprise. What was Kane software's head of security doing sitting on her couch? Duncan. It had to be about Duncan. Veronica thinks, not for the first time, that Clarence Weidman is more of the Kane Family Head of Security than that Kane Software one. 

"Clarence Weidman. To what do I owe the honor of having you take time out of your busy schedule to personally break into my house?" she smirks, feeling the joy an anticipated power joust with the Ivy League groomed thug in a suit despite herself. 

When he actually answers her question, Veronica thinks she must have earned at least a little respect from Clarence Weidman since the last time they had one of their little chats, or perhaps it's just because he actually sought her out this time rather than the other way around. 

"The Kane family has some concerns that they asked me to look into." He tells her, "Concerns I believe you may have information that will help me evaluate, concerns about Logan Echolls."

There it is. With Lilly murdered as the result of a scandalous affair and Duncan a fugitive, unlikely to ever return to North America, let alone Neptune, Veronica and Logan were the closest thing to children that the Kanes have left. Considering Celeste's passionate hatred of Veronica, it's no surprise that they are looking after Logan instead. 

"In case you hadn't heard, Logan and I aren't exactly best friends forever these days." Veronica quips; although, she knows she's going to tell Clarence Weidman whatever it is he wants, whether she does it right now or holds out for a little while. She prefers to hold out as long as possible.

*****

Veronica is photographing yet another philandering spouse at the Camelot, when Clarence Weidman seeks her out again. 

"So how much is the wife planning on asking for?" He asks, completely affect less. 

"You know I really didn't think to ask. 50/50 chance it never actually comes to divorce anyway." Veronica replies and goes back to shooting, keenly aware of his presence behind her.

"The Camelot isn't really a very good place for a teenage girl to be out alone at night." 

"Since when did you become the touchy feely type? Or did Jake Kane decide to take care of me in spite of Celeste's utter loathing?" she says with her usual sarcasm, "So tell me Clarence... I can call you Clarence can't I? What are you going to do the day that one master says to protect me and the other says to get rid of me?" 

Veronica feels slightly off her game, the words fall a little too fast.

"One of these days, Miss Mars, you are going to say something that gets you into trouble you can't get out of."

"I look forward to it." Veronica grins with only a mildly shaky feeling coursing through her body. 

"I'm beginning to think I might as well."

"Well gee, isn't that sweet. Honestly though, what can I help you with? I doubt you are here just to socialize." she says, stowing her camera in her bag. The shots she already has are more than sufficient. 

"I need information on one Eli Navarro, alias of Weevil, leader of the PCH bike club."

"Don't you mean former leader?" Veronica corrects him, "Or are you a little behind the times? Not to mention, when did I become your personal informer?" 

"Former leader you say? Do enlighten me as to what happened to Mr. Navarro's iron grip on the town's hooligans?"

"Some of the gang's members got into business with the Fitzpatricks, dealing for them... behind Weevil's back. When he discovered the truth and confronted them, the boys turned on him. You know you really need to get back in touch with the urban demographic." 

"So what you're telling me is that this Weevil has a heart of gold or some such tripe."

"He's bailed me out of a bad situation many a time. Really though, why do you want to know about Weevil anyway?" 

"It seems he's been spending a great deal of time with Logan Echolls recently."

"And you want to know why..." Veronica fills in; sometimes, this is almost too easy.

****

Before Clarence Weidman started asking questions, Veronica had pretty much decided to stay out of the unofficial Felix Toombs murder investigation she knew that Logan and Weevil had going on. She still wasn't pleased with Logan for pulling that gun out, and she figured that both he and Weevil knew to come ask for her help if they needed it. Besides, it wasn't like Veronica didn't have other things to worry about, like why someone would want to kill a bus full of high school students or, most importantly, staying ahead of her classmates in the battle for the Kane scholarship. Felix wasn't getting any deader after all. 

Now, Veronica finds herself reversing that decision; she feels determined to stay a step ahead of Clarence Weidman. She discovers that sometimes he asks different questions from the ones she would, and sometimes answering these questions leads her into new and profitable directions. She doesn't question how he always knows where to find her. She also doesn't say anything when the first check appears from Kane Software. 

"So do you spend all your time dealing with Kane family private problems, or do you actually do stuff related to the business every once in a while?" Veronica asks, when bringing him yet another espresso at Java the Hut. She's mainly just relying on her usual sarcasm, but the fact remains that a successful, good looking, man, in his prime, like Clarence Weidman really ought to have better things to do on a Friday night, than sit in this cafe solely for the purpose of asking her a few questions.

"The security of the family is absolutely essential to the success of the business Miss Mars, when any negative press or signs of weakness appear regarding Jake Kane, or his family, stocks plummet." He replies and Veronica wonders if anything fazes Clarence Weidman, if anything could cause him to lose his cool. 

"Learn that at Harvard too?" Veronica says with a bemused smile, which changes when she sees Weevil watching her from across the room.

Clarence notices the shift and follows her line of sight straight to the former gang leader. Veronica doesn't offer any explanation, but instead walks away from his table and goes back to the counter before heading over to find out what Weevil wants. 

"I'd ask if that man was bothering you, but given that you seemed pretty pleased before you noticed me watching I assume that's a dumb question." Weevil says before she even reaches his table

"It's business." Veronica replies quickly.

"Whatever you say V, if he starts giving you trouble you let me know though."

"Touched as I am by the gesture, surely you didn't come all the way down here to offer your protection from the man you didn't yet know was talking to me."

"Can't a guy visit a not-quite-friend at work without being suspected of being up to something?" Weevil pretends to be offended.

"You're Eli "Weevil" Navarro... you can't do anything without being suspected."

"Fair enough." Weevil agrees, "Besides I have to admit I do have a reason for being here. I owe you one so I probably shouldn't ask you another favor, but I was remembering what you did for Carmen last year and was wondering if maybe you could help me out with something similar." 

"Are you telling me there's a dirty video of you out there Weevil?"

"No, it's ummm..." Weevil says, lowering his voice, "It's a video of me beating the shit out of Curly Moran."

"Let's say I do help you." Veronica says, pretending to take his order, "I'm going to need better information about that night than the brush off that you gave me last time I asked about it."

"Whatever you want." Weevil replies, scanning the room, Veronica can't help checking to see if Clarence Weidman is watching them, "I'll let you get back to work. You can grill me later."

A few weeks back Veronica would have tried to say no to Weevil, now she had to get information Clarence Weidman couldn’t get for himself so she could prove that she was more than a nosy little girl. Veronica wondered when she'd started needing to prove anything to Clarence Weidman but the fact was that she did. Still it didn't do to seem overly eager, so she added, "This is going on your tab." before walking away. 

"Is there some tawdry affair going on between you and Mr. Navarro that you failed to mention, Miss Mars?" Clarence Weidman says in the most impersonal way when Veronica returns.

"I don't recall you asking me about my personal life Mr. Weidman...and no it's not tawdry. Can't you tell it's true love!" Veronica adds in her most girlishly childish tone.

****

Getting the goods on Thumper proves to be a bit trickier than it had been with Tad; of course, that is probably because she is trying to get evidence that would send him to jail, instead of just something embarrassing. Weevil offers to escort her when she has to bug Thumper's room, but she points out that in this case he is more likely to draw negative attention than to shield her from it. Weevil doesn't like this at all but there isn't anything he can really do about it. 

When things get ugly, Veronica starts to think that maybe she ought to stop doing favors this dangerous, but it's a little late for that and she's pretty certain that being beaten bloody or raped are the only options she has left when she hears the increasingly familiar tone of Clarence Weidman warning the thugs around her that they want to step away if their lives, or that of Thumper's little sister whom he is holding, are of any value to them. 

Veronica knows that she probably shouldn't find the fact that she knows Clarence Weidman really would break the 4 year old's neck reassuring, but she does. Apparently the bikers know he is serious too, because they let Veronica go and she and Clarence walk out in one piece. 

He never brings up that he had to save her life after that. The only remark he ever makes on the topic is to give her a gun and tell her that if she insists on putting herself in situations like this she should learn to use it. 

****

Veronica has never liked guns, but she is at the firing range the next time Clarence Weidman shows up anyway. He's wearing his casual attire, and Veronica wonders whether the people who pass him on the street realize the power he can wield. 

"Are actually considering going back?" he asks.

"No reason to. I already planted the bug, they haven't figured it out yet, and I already have all the evidence I need from it anyway." She replies as she presses the trigger and misses the target badly.

A shiver runs down Veronica's spine as he steps behind her and places his hands on hers, redirecting her aim. "You have a good mind Veronica, but unless you can defend yourself physically as well as verbally you will never last long in this business." 

Veronica feels flushed when he uses her first name. Then she realizes that Clarence Weidman really hasn't had any legitimate professional reason to seek her out for weeks. She isn't sure whether he is training her as his apprentice or scoping her out to be his new girlfriend; given the tingles she feels whenever he touches her, she really wouldn't mind either.


End file.
